Two sentenced for dangerous driving after Kapiti longboarder Tristan Hunter's death

Tristan Hunter was killed in a tragic longboarding accident in March last year. Photo / Supplied

The person in a car which was shielding a longboarder from traffic before fatally hitting him were sentenced today.

Another longboarder who "oversaw the route" was also sentenced.

Kapiti Coast longboarder Tristan Hunter died on Maungakotukutuku Rd near Paraparaumu on March 25 last year.

Devon Paul Weston Welch and Germaine Remi Dageville appeared in the Wellington District Court this morning on charges of driving dangerously causing death, and were sentenced to 150 hours of community work each. Both were also disqualified from driving for one year.

Hunter, 21, fell off his longboard and was hit by the following car.

Welch, the driver of the car, was following as a safety measure intended to prevent other vehicles from endangering Hunter.

Though the details of the crash aren't clear, it appears Hunter fell as he was going around a corner without Welch realising.

When Welch saw the longboarder on the road he swerved into a bank to avoid hitting him, but bounced off, hitting Hunter.

Hunter's family did not blame the driver, calling the death a "freak accident".

He was regarded as one of New Zealand's best longboarders and had aspirations to ride professionally.

Welch's lawyer Michael Bott, said the key message was that a young man had died while participating in an extreme sport he loved.

"In this situation, a young man drove a car too close behind. Something went wrong and the inevitable occurred," Bott said.

"There are no winners, my client's been through the mill. As I say, it's just a tragedy."

Bott said Hunter's parents had shown the "utmost sympathy" for Welch.

Welch and Dageville had "been through a massive amount of trauma".

"Their grief is real and profound, and the court could see that today - that's also in part why the parents of the deceased also feel profound sympathy for them."